Ukraine accused Russia of “deliberately” launching an air strike that cut power to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near the border with Belarus, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said lasted for over three hours.
The blackout was reported by the Ukrainian Energy Ministry late Wednesday, which said a Russian air strike in the city of Slavutych, Kiev region resulted in the cut, leaving the New Safe Confinement structure at the plant without power supply.
Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk said power supply to active facilities at the site were fully restored following work from specialists, adding that radiation levels did not exceed control levels and there were no threats to the local population.
Nuclear power plants require a continuous supply of electricity to run the cooling system that helps prevent any meltdown.
Commenting on the incident in a statement on X, Zelenskyy accused Russia of a “deliberate” strike, which caused the over three-hour blackout and claimed more than 20 drones were involved in the attack.
“Some of these drones were shot down, but the attack was specifically executed as a wave to complicate the facility’s defence,” he added.
Moscow had earlier accused Ukraine of hitting the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is under the control of Russian forces.
Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest atomic energy plant, lost power on September 23, the longest of the 10 outages from the grid it has undergone since Russia seized the station following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Since the start of the war, Zaporizhzhia has seen multiple safety threats, including frequent nearby shelling, repeated power cuts and staff shortages. Russia accuses Ukraine of targeting the nuclear facility. Located near the city of Energodar along the Dnieper River, the power plant is close to the front line.
Nuclear worry
Zelenskyy took the opportunity to hit at the UN nuclear watchdog, which monitors the condition of nuclear power plants, including Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia.
“Russia is intentionally creating a risk of radiological incidents, taking advantage, unfortunately, of the weak stance of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and Director General Rafael Grossi, as well as the dispersed global attention,” he said.
Russia denies Ukrainian allegations that it intentionally hit Zaporizhzhia, which is under its control.
The situation around Zaporizhzhia remains tense as concerns persist over a possible nuclear disaster. Since September 1, 2022, IAEA personnel have been present at the plant.
